Angela Missoni

Angela Missoni is the creative director of Missoni, the iconic and beloved brand that has been at the forefront of Italian fashion since 1953 when her parents, Ottavio and Rosita, started designing unconventional and distinctive patterned knits. Tied to the aesthetic innovation and technical invention that have continuously changed the identity of knitwear, Missoni is one of the best known, loved, and recognized fashion and design brands in the world.

Missoni inaugurated—and has affirmed for over 60 years—an unmistakable way of dressing and living: a colorful “put together” ensemble of zigzag motifs, stripes, waves, and slub yarns in a patchwork of geometric and floral jacquard. Ms. Missoni, who’s celebrating her 20th year as creative director, is responsible for carrying the family business forward, reinventing the historied house codes season after season and infusing the brand with a new and modern energy. She assumes sole responsibility for the company’s inimitable style, including the men’s collection and licensees, and has offered the brand’s signature aesthetic to a number of high-profile partners and collaborators, most notably the Missoni for Target collection in 2011.

Ms. Missoni is also credited with renewing the brand’s global store concept and for giving the ad campaigns a contemporary slant, working with talents such as Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, Mario Testino, Ryan McGinley, Juergen Teller, Kenneth Anger, and Harley Weir. Her myriad contributions have solidified Missoni as one of the best representatives of Italian fashion and design.

Ms. Missoni has been a longtime supporter of amfAR and the fight against AIDS. She has contributed generously to the Foundation’s lifesaving research programs through her support of our international fundraising galas, including amfAR Gala Cannes, amfAR Gala New York, and amfAR Gala Milano. She also supports OrphanAid Africa, a nonprofit that develops programs to help vulnerable children in West Africa, who have often been separated from their families by poverty and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In 2014, Ms. Missoni was among several designers and celebrities (including Nicole Kidman, Sharon Stone, and Roberto Cavalli) who each created a teddy bear auctioned off by Sotheby’s. The proceeds went to Operation Bobbi Bear, a human rights organization committed to helping sexually abused children in South Africa.